The installation of handmade paper, fabric, thread, and pre-printed material is based on the artists’ previous collaborative exhibition at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in 2009. The three first worked together while training as papermakers at the University of Iowa Center for the Book.

“Hand-making paper is an aesthetic we learned together,” Running said. “The techniques have informed our practices as individual artists. We didn’t need to speak when making paper; our unspoken gestures were our dialogue.”

Gestures also play into the exhibition title, which is based on symbols or gestures from Gregg Shorthand, a phonetic writing system once used for speedy note-taking. The three artists wrote letters to one another as they began their collaboration, and their letters influenced the work on display in the Grinnell installation. “The text connected us across the country, and the garlands in the exhibition represent that connection,” Running said.

The three artists gathered in Grinnell in early January to install the works together. “We wanted to build an environment for the site-specific installation instead of discrete works. And we wanted to bring the show to Grinnell because of the collaborative model so student artists can see how they can stay connected to other artists,” Running said. Her works of paper will also be on display at Upper Iowa University and in Kansas City this spring.

“Kind Favor, Kind Letter” runs through Mar. 20 concurrent with “Of Fables and Folly,” an exhibition by South African artist Diane Victor. “Kind Favor, Kind Letter” is coordinated by Daniel Strong, associate director of Faulconer Gallery, and will be on display during regular gallery hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday: noon – 5 p.m.; Thursday, Friday: noon – 8 p.m. or by appointment. All exhibition events are held in Faulconer Gallery in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts on the Grinnell campus, unless otherwise noted. For more information about the exhibition and related programs, call 641-269-4660 or visit www.grinnell.edu/faulconergallery.